Govt seeks report on student suicide

Bhubaneswar: The higher education department has sought a status report from deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Bhubaneswar on the probe into the suicide of BJB Autonomous College student Ruchika Mohanty, allegedly because of ragging in July this year.
Higher education department secretary Bishnupada Sethi on Tuesday wrote a letter to Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh requesting him to submit a present inquiry status report on the Ruchika Mohanty suicide case.
“Our investigation is up to date, so we will not wait for the report. We can submit it immediately,” said DCP Prateek Singh.
On July 2, Ruchika, a Plus III first-year girl student of the state’s premier BJB Autonomous College, was found dead in her hostel room. The student, who hailed from Athagarh in Cuttack district, was staying in Karubaki Hostel of the college. Her body was found inside the hostel room number 201. In a note, the girl had written that she was tortured by three seniors.
Ruchika’s parents, Ganeswar and Bidulata Mohanty, had staged demonstrations in front of the college for several days demanding justice. They alleged that the girl was depressed due to ragging by seniors of her college. Student organisations had also staged demonstrations. They were demanding a CBI probe into the circumstances that prompted her to kill herself.
Following this incident, the higher education department on August 3 directed colleges and universities to take preventive measures against ragging on campuses following the regulations of the University Grants Commission.
According to the department’s direction, for every established case of ragging or abetment to ragging, the institution should file an FIR with local police.